A gas turbine engine generally includes, in serial flow order, an inlet section, a compressor section, a combustion section, a turbine section, and an exhaust section. In operation, air enters the inlet section and flows to the compressor section where one or more axial compressors progressively compress the air until it reaches the combustion section. Fuel mixes with the compressed air and burns within the combustion section, thereby creating combustion gases. The combustion gases flow from the combustion section through a hot gas path defined within the turbine section and then exit the turbine section via the exhaust section.
Typically, the combustion section includes one or more combustors. Each combustor generally includes a combustion chamber. Compressed air from the compressor section flows into the combustion chamber of each of the one or more combustor and mixes with fuel. The compressed air and fuel mixture is ignited and burns in each combustion chamber, thereby forming combustion gases. The combustion gases, in turn, flow out of each combustion chamber and into the turbine section.
Certain gas turbine engines (e.g., turboprop engines typically used on business and general aviation airplanes) may include one or more reverse flow combustors. Typically, reverse flow combustors direct the air flowing therethrough (i.e., the compressed air, the compressed air and fuel mixture, and the combustion gases) in an S-shaped flow path. In this respect, reverse flow combustors generally have a shorter axial length than other comparable combustors. This, in turn, reduces the overall length of the gas turbine engine, which also reduces the weight thereof. Nevertheless, the configuration of conventional sump assemblies positioned proximate to the reverse flow combustor may limit the axial length reduction associated with using a reverse flow combustor in the gas turbine.